Anupam Katkar, Information Services

There are three reasons why I love American Chopsuey. First, it is delicious! Second, unlike some Indian recipes, it is easy to make with basic ingredients that you’ll find in any grocery store in America. And lastly because its seemingly-confused name belies a fascinating history of cultural exchange between India, China, SE Asia and the United States. I’m hard-pressed to think of a better example of “foods that connect us”!

History:

Far from being a recent phenomenon, fusion cuisine is as old as human history itself. The history of Indo-Chinese cuisine begins with the Silk Road in 130 BCE, which witnessed the first wave of migrations from East Asia to India. Over the centuries, India received more Chinese migrants with the spread of Buddhism (c. 600 CE), maritime trade with East and SE Asia, and European trading outposts in the mid-1700s. In fact, Chinese Indians in Kolkata have a centuries-old tradition of offering rice and noodle dishes to the Hindu goddess Kali during the annual Durga Puja festival!

Each wave of Chinese migrants had a distinct cultural identity, and adapted traditional recipes of their provinces to use Indian ingredients. As a result, Indo-Chinese cuisine today has little in common with traditional Chinese cuisine, despite some similar names. Case in point: although chopsuey ordinarily comprises of stir-fried noodles with meat, Indian chopsuey dishes have crunchy, deep-fried noodles in a bowl of savory vegan gravy. The final twist in this tale comes with the Second World War: when US Army troops assigned to the Burma theater set up their HQ in Kolkata in 1945, local restaurants adapted Indian chopsuey to use ingredients familiar to US soldiers, such as ketchup. And thus, “American chopsuey” was born.

Trivia: to add to the confusion, a New England recipe made with macaroni, beef and spaghetti sauce is also known as “American chopsuey”, and has nothing in common with this Indian recipe except for its name!

Part 1: The noodles:

You will need:

• Thin wheat noodles – ramen, instant or similar
• Oil – vegetable, canola or sunflower
• Corn starch

1. Bring some water to boil, add salt and toss in the noodles. Remove noodles from the water BEFORE they’re done (semi-cooked), run under water and place them in a colander to drain the water.
2. Once the noodles are cool and dry, sprinkle some corn starch and toss the noodles to coat them evenly.
3. Heat up 2 cups of vegetable / canola / sunflower oil in a deeper pan. Toss in one noodle to test the oil temperature. The noodle shouldn’t sink to the bottom or rise too quickly.
4. When the oil temperature is right, deep-fry the remaining noodles. As the noodles harden and change color, turn them over to cook the other side. Remove noodles with a strainer and place them on a paper towel to absorb excess oil
5. As the noodles cool, they will harden. Break them up into smaller chunks. You can also prepare noodles in bulk and store them in an airtight container for later use.

Part 2: The gravy (serves 2)

You will need:

• Thinly sliced veggies: 1 cup cabbage, 1 cup carrot, 1 cup bell pepper, ½ cup spring onion
• One teaspoon each of minced garlic and ginger
• Sauces: Ketchup, soy sauce, siracha
• Corn starch
• Oil – same kind that you used for the noodles
• Vinegar – rice, white or apple cider
• Sugar (granulated or powdered cane)
• Black pepper and salt to taste

Directions

1. In a bowl, add 6 tablespoons of ketchup, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 1 tablespoon of siracha sauce. Mix well.
2. In another bowl, add 4 tablespoons of corn starch and 4 tablespoons of water. Mix well to dissolve lumps.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok. Add garlic and ginger and sauté till lightly browned.
4. Add spring onions and turn up the heat. Stir-fry for a minute.
5. Add other vegetables and stir-fry for 5 minutes.
6. Reduce heat and add the sauce mix. Stir well.
7. Add 3-4 cups of water.
8. As you keep stirring, add the corn starch mix.
9. Add black pepper and salt as needed.
10. Add 2 teaspoons of vinegar and sugar. Mix well
11. Continue stirring till sauce thickens.

Pour a gravy into a bowl and sprinkle the crunchy noodles on top. Bon Appetit!